Racing through the dark

B 🌻 A B reviewed Racing Through the Dark by David Millar

The Fall and Rise of one David Millar

4 stars

Having watched Millar race on the telly, having listened to him commentate with Ned Bouting, and as a listener to their Never Strays Far podcast with Pete Kennaugh, I thought I knew most of his story. A repentant doper, but just how repentant? There's always been that lingering doubt with ex-dopers about just how clean they really are, are they just saying what they think we want to hear. This book should put any linger doubts about Millar's cleanliness in his later career to bed, the warts and all are really quite revealing.

The playboy lifestyle, the largesse and excess. It seems to be a feature of certain people at the top of their profession, cycling or not, powered by a fear of the darkness within. I found the end of the book oddly emotional, maybe I hadn't realised how invested in the story I'd become. Certainly an interesting account …

Having watched Millar race on the telly, having listened to him commentate with Ned Bouting, and as a listener to their Never Strays Far podcast with Pete Kennaugh, I thought I knew most of his story. A repentant doper, but just how repentant? There's always been that lingering doubt with ex-dopers about just how clean they really are, are they just saying what they think we want to hear. This book should put any linger doubts about Millar's cleanliness in his later career to bed, the warts and all are really quite revealing.

The playboy lifestyle, the largesse and excess. It seems to be a feature of certain people at the top of their profession, cycling or not, powered by a fear of the darkness within. I found the end of the book oddly emotional, maybe I hadn't realised how invested in the story I'd become. Certainly an interesting account of how easy it is to be ground down by a system, and how low you have to go before you can start to climb your way out again.

Matthew M. Conroy reviewed Racing through the dark by David Millar

Review of 'Racing through the dark' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Very well written, full of details about how David became an amateur racer, then professional, then his use of EPO and cortisone (and perhaps other drugs). Great to read what appear to be honest, personal descriptions of the thought processes and emotions that went into his deciding to use banned substances. Excellent "inside" stories about other racers, too.

robphippen reviewed Racing through the dark by David Millar

Review of 'Racing through the dark' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A fabulous read, for anyone who is interested in how doping became endemic in professional cycling, and how it is climbing out of that mess. Despite going through some dark moments, it is in the end an optimistic book. The writing is good: it is clear that Millar has put a great deal of thought into this book, and he is unsparing of himself in his analysis of how he got sucked into doping.